Pilgrimage of Nuestro Señor de la Vida

Description

On the morning of the first Sunday of May, a pilgrimage sets out from Bélmez de la Moraleda towards the hamlet of Bélmez, in honour of Nuestro Señor de la Vida. During the pilgrimage, the so-called “Relaciones” take place, a re-enactment in seven scenes of battles between Moors and Christians, in which the latter rescue the image of the Señor de la Vida from the Muslim troops and proclaim him patron saint of the hamlet of Bélmez. Tradition tells how a shepherd named Eufrasio, while tending his sheep, was told in a dream by an angel that in a dungeon of Bélmez Castle there was an image depicting Christ tied to a column to be scourged. The shepherd tried to recover the image, but was refused by the Moorish king who ruled the castle. Eufrasio sought help from the Christian troops camped near the fortress, and after a fierce battle between the two sides, the image was recovered and proclaimed patron saint of both the hamlet of Bélmez and Bélmez de la Moraleda. This re-enactment dates back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the distinctive feature that the Christian troops are dressed in modern soldier's uniforms and carry shotguns, while the Moorish troops wear attire more in keeping with the period in which the events are said to have taken place.